Once Upon a December
by PuReBLoOdaZn
Summary: It all started Once Upon a December in a celebration thrown by a Royal Everard. Draco wasn't supposed to save her that night, and now nearly 8 years later, they'll have to deal with the consequences that come from playing with destiny. DracoHermione
1. Part 1: Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I am too much of an idiot to actually own anything Harry Potter related. Heh heh. Except for the plot in this fic, of course! Haha. **

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Far away  
Long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember  
Things my heart used to know 

Things it yearns to remember  
And a song someone sings  
_Once upon a December_……….

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**Once Upon a December  
Part 1**

"Hermione!" a mother's voice yelled. "Hermione!" she said again. It was to no avail. Her daughter was upstairs in her room humming a sweet song while she wrote in her newly bought and bewitched journal.

Hermione's mother finally came up the stairs in exasperation to wave her finger at Hermione, but when she reached her door, she found that she could not do anything but stare at the beautiful little angel who was sitting on a chair and facing away from her. After a few minutes, Mother decided to shake her gently and kiss her forehead.

"What are you doing, love? Have you forgotten the time? You should very well know c'est l'anniversaire de votre grand-père," she said to her little one. Hermione turned around and looked into the identical brown eyes her mother had.

"Ah, bien sûr, Mère! I know it's grand-père's birthday, but I wanted the whole day to be recorded; especially all the details! I just didn't want to write it all down afterwards. I prefer it to be written just as I experience it! Therefore, I have bewitched my journal to do just that," replied Hermione enthusiastically.

Her mother looked at her amazed. "Well, I certainly underestimated your powers! Never again!" said she and continued with a smile, "Now, let's fix you up and find the beauty within!" At this, Hermione squirmed.

"But, Mama! You know how I hate being dressed up," was her weak reply. Her mother looked at her and then said, "You'll never know, there may be one very handsome prince worth enough for my little princess!" Hermione only blew a raspberry at her. "Boys! Yuck. Who needs 'em?" Mother only laughed.

After much struggle and effort, Mother finally managed to get Hermione dressed up. "Phew! Who knew little 10 year olds were so hard to manage?" said Mother to Father.

Hermione walked down the stairs prettier than her father had ever seen her before. Her hair was tamed down into the sweet curls that she usually refused to show off, and they glittered and shined with jewels that Father had bought for her the year before. Adorned on her head almost like a halo, was a startling tiara made of only the most flawless diamonds, and there was a necklace to match the tiara both in price and beauty.

Her makeup was light for she was only a child, but the beauty of her pout was enhanced and not hindered. The dress she wore was so white that ivory in comparison would have been like the candle to a flame. Delicate black ribbons were strategically placed on the dress so as to improve her maturing figure. Matching slippers had to be forced on her small feet for she had refused so fervently to have them on.

But even after she had been dressed so perfectly, the most stunning feature were her beautiful brown eyes. They were her what her father loved the most because even though his little girl had inherited his intelligence and cunning, Hermione had gotten her mother's charming eyes.

The King had no words to describe his delight, so instead he went over to his daughter and held her close in his arms. She happily returned the embrace.

She giggled slightly at his show of emotion.

"Let's go, Dad! I want to go see grand-père, but even more than that, I'd like to get this wretched dress off. It makes me feel all girlie." He could only laugh, and soon they were on their way in a bewitched carriage with elegant white horses leading the way.

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"Draco!" called Narcissa. "Draco, love." He stood up straight and looked toward his mahogany door expecting his mother to come in at any moment. Then he glanced back at his mirror to be certain, for at least the 10th time, that there wasn't even a piece of lint on him. Draco wanted to make his mother proud. As he was looking back, Narcissa opened the door intent to find a little boy, but instead found a dashing prince. 

"My, my. What do we have here?" asked Narcissa. Draco spun around and tried not to fidget.

"Excuse me, sir," Narcissa inquired, "But have you seen my little boy?" Draco was dumbfounded, "But Mama! It's me! I am your little boy! Draco!" Narcissa squinted her eyes and tried to look skeptical, but a smile had already taken its place on her face.

"Well, will you look at that! You clean up quite nicely, love. I don't think I've ever been more proud of you." Draco's face lit up and he ran into his mother's outstretched arms. "I love you, Mother." She tussled his hair a bit and he looked up at her. "Oh, don't do that, Mama. You'll mess it up."

She laughed and said, "I don't want you growing up too fast. You already look too much like your father and not a bit….," before she could finish her last two words, Lucius himself had come into the room, "Like me," she finished lamely.

Draco's father looked at the two of them and wished deep inside that he could show the affection he felt, but having already pledged allegiance to the Dark forced him to disregard the love he had inside. He did, however, unintentionally allow them to see a twinkle of happiness in his eyes, if only for a second.

"Why did you not respond to my beckoning? Time is past for a gracious arrival" said Lucius impatiently. Narcissa and Draco looked at each other and both nodded.

Narcissa answered, "Pardon us, Husband. We've abused the time limit set." She curtsied gracefully and made haste down the stairs. Narcissa had left her son and Lucius alone.

"Father," said Draco with a bow following. Lucius nodded his head in acknowledgment. Mentally, Lucius was surveying his son's physical appearance as well as attitude, and Draco knew it. Lucius started from the bottom and glanced approvingly at his son's identical black shoes used only for formal occasions. There were no misplaced creases on his suit's pants or coat. There was a silver tie knotted perfectly atop a green silk shirt.

"_Slytherin colors," _Lucius thought inwardly and chuckled. This caught Draco's attention.

"Pardon me, Father?" Draco raised an eyebrow at his Father's chuckle for it was quite out of character. His father looked at him and quickly recovered.

"Show respect, boy, and do not raise that eyebrow at me. Let me finish my inspection." Draco submitted.

Lucius continued and found himself staring at his son's handsome face.

"_A ¼ veela, of course. Just like his mom and dad,"_ thought Lucius to himself.

It was obvious that Draco was his father's son. There was that finely chiseled nose and stubborn chin. The proportions were all the same, and even the hair had the same blond almost white coloring. Draco would have looked exactly like Lucius except for that he inherited his eyes and mouth from his mother. His mouth did not form a straight line but instead curved at the edges, and his lips were not thin nor overly large. But it was not his mouth that made Draco exceptionally different in appearance from Lucius.

Draco's eyes would change from shades of blue and gray according to his mood. If he felt much affection, his eyes would be the deepest shade of blue, but no one, except Lucius and Narcissa, had ever seen them blue because he felt no emotion for any other person. He was taught that it wasn't proper to; just like a Malfoy.

According to practically everyone in the wizarding world, this trait was inherited only by the purest of bloods and was no longer seen. As far as anyone knew Narcissa Black was the only person to have it. This trait had been apparent in the Malfoy line thousands of years ago, but because Malfoys were known to never show emotion, it became something benign. Draco became the first in the Malfoy line to express this gene for almost a thousand years.

"I approve," Lucius finally said, "It would do you well to remember what I taught you before, and I expect you to never abuse or shame the family name." Draco's eyes flashed a shade even darker than gray, but he was quickly in stride with his father.

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**AU: **Okay, dudes. I changed the title as it was originally "First Love". But now there's a little evil plot bunny who is forcing me to change a few things. Don't worry though. It'll still be good. Hehe. Keep reviewing! 


	2. Part 1: Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: AH, is that a DUCK? > I bet JKR owns it.**

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**Far away  
Long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember  
Things my heart used to know  
Things it yearns to remember 

And a song someone sings  
_Once upon a December..._**

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**

**Chapter 2**

The chilly December night proved incapable to ruin the pleasant mood radiating from the passengers inside the glimmering white carriage. As the horses trotted towards their destination, a sweet melody could be heard coming from the Everard Palace.

A voice faded in with the music and began to sing. Hermione knew it was the most beautiful song she had ever heard even though they were too far way to hear the words.

The woman's voice was heavenly, but there was a tinge of sadness. Hermione was mesmerized by the voice, but also troubled by it. She felt goose pimples slowly creeping up her arm as the sweet voice and music continued to serenade them.

Hermione felt her brother's arm wrap around her as he could sense what she had been feeling. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. His dark blue eyes twinkled as he looked at his twin. No one believed that they were twins at first glance. Blaise had straight, midnight black hair while Hermione's curls were a chestnut brown. Even at 10, Blaise was already half a head taller than Hermione.

But even with all the glaring differences, with close inspection, the two undeniably shared the same characteristics. Their mouths were both inherited from their mother, and the two of them often pouted or smirked at the same time. Both of their noses were a little more flat than sharp, and if ever one of them wrinkled their nose, the other would have a crinkle in between their eyebrows from doing the same thing. They loved the same exotic foods and avoided flying as much as possible (more Hermione than Blaise).

After a few moments, the twins both looked towards their Mother who sat across from them. Éliane's eyes were closed and single, crystal tear slowly made its way down her face. Hermione reached to wipe it from her face, but Father beat her to it.

In half a second's time, Bastien Everard had seen the tear fall and reacted. He felt his wife's soft skin and for that moment knew no other pleasure. The two adults both knew what was to happen. The signs had been there for years; even before the birth of their twins. If the chosen prince and princess did not fall in love before Everard's Eve, then all of royalty would vanish.

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-Flashback-

_Lady Amarante of Everard stumbled upon a secret passageway in her palace even after 30 years of having lived there. _

_"This castle's always full of surprises_," _she chuckled to herself. Without hesitation, she followed the winding passageway until it led her into a dark chamber hidden deep underneath her palace. A cold wind chilled her to the bone, and she wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. The passageway ended and the room was almost pitch black with only a waning light behind her. When suddenly the light went off she instinctively reached for her wand, but it was nowhere to be found. She resolved not to panic and walked a straight left to try and feel her way against the walls._

_She felt for a torch and lit it. As soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. Only inches away from her own frame was a ferocious black dragon. It almost took up the space of an entire dungeon and was as tall as one of the palace towers. Amarante's thoughts raced inside her head as she struggled to keep a calm composure. She could not stop her hands from trembling._

_Amarante had been around dragons many times, but this wasn't like other times. Never in her life did she wish to encounter this particular dragon. It was simply known as The Black Dragon, and it held no distinction with the rest. Every part of the dragon was pure ebony, and it camouflaged well with Dark. However, the real reason why everyone was afraid of The Black Dragon was not because of its intimidating appearance, but because of the Dark omen it was said to carry._

_It spoke:_

_**Courageous thou art for meddling in a place of Dark.**_

_Amarante shuddered in response._

_**Speak if thou wisheth or perish as thine mind collides with mine.**_

_The Queen found her voice, but requested a silent challenge with her mind._

_**Brave or foolish, are you? **The dragon snorted a small flame as Amarante appeared on the other side of the dungeon. This show of magic infuriated the dragon and it rammed itself into Amarente's barriers. The dragon was not prepared for such a defense in her mind and this slight hesitation was all that Amarante needed to gain a small advantage._

_The Queen pried through the dragon's mind and felt enormous amounts of pain and devastation jolt throughout her entire body as she discovered the omen. The dragon hissed and spoke once more._

**_Foolish girl. Thou hast taken thine own life with a trespass of mine. _**

_As hopeless as Amarante had felt at that moment, she found a small string of hope in the dragon's words. As the link between the two powerful beings was still not severed, Amarante knew she had to make the ultimate sacrifice._

_A silver dagger appeared in Amarante's hand. She looked defiantly up at the dragon's black eyes. Her eyeballs clouded up until the irises could no longer be seen. A cold sensation ran through the dragon's interior. The dragon was not aware of the dagger in her hands, so she struck quickly and flawlessly. _

_Amarante knelt taking no heed to the cold stone beneath her injury. Across her cheek was a thick black acid which created a deep gash. In her palm was a single dragon scale the same size as her hand. The Black Dragon yelped in surprise and breathed fire at Amarante, but she easily dodged out of the way. A voice entirely not her own pierced through the cold air. _

_"Your magic cannot harm a ROYAL! LOVE SHALL CONQUER." The Queen threw the dagger off to the side and instead took the sharp dragon scale and stabbed herself in the heart before casting her final spell._

"_When my blood touches The Black Dragon's scale, a dark omen sent by fate will fail.  
A daughter of my blood must survive to kiss the son of yours or let no Royals be alive  
T__he two who are chosen must soon meet or the Royals surrender to you in utter defeat."_

**To be continued in Chapter 3.**

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AU: **Yuck, I had a really hard time writing that last bit. Maybe, I'll change it. Please review! -D 


	3. Part 1: Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **When a pig flies (outside of the wizarding world), then I claim absolute ownership to ALL HARRY POTTER PRODUCTS! Ehh, too bad that's not happening.

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AU: This chapter might be a little boring since it's giving you more and more information so that other chapters make sense! Chapter 4 will hold the end of the flashback hopefully.**

Reviewers will receiver their proper replies at the end of the chapter! Enjoy, mes amis!

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Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember... 

And a song  
Someone sings  
_Once upon a December...

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**Part 1: Chapter 3**

(_Continued from Chapter 2_)

-_Flashback-_

_"They found the Queen's body atop her bed and under the covers with no immediate signs of trouble," said the guard and continued, "The ladies in waiting were unaware of any trouble that may have besought her. They believed her to be taking a few more hours of rest as she did go on one of her infamous escapades the night before." The royal guard could not help but wipe the tears that came from his eyes. He wasn't one to be very emotional, but this was his Queen and not only that because she had saved him from certain death as a child and given him a proper life along with countless others._

_He bowed as he kneeled and said, "Lady Amarante did not deserve such a fate, your highness."_

_-----------------------_

_King Edgard had been away on royal business_ _with the other kingdoms to discuss all of the random killings and fires that had been ravaging villages. It had alarmed all of the kingdoms because such happenings had been unheard of ever since the end of the Dark Age. If there was another Dark power coming on the rise, then they would have to take account of all of the dragons because they were Dark's most faithful servants no matter how much good they were exposed to. It was said that dragons had come to be from Dark's blood. However, that was only legend._

_When Lady Amarante took her own life, Edgard had felt her pain at that exact moment. It was the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced in his life, but for some reason he remained reassured. It was as if Amarante herself had felt some sort of assurance even through this pain she was suffering. The husband and wife had shared a connection that allowed them to sense if the other was feeling any extreme emotion. He knew that something was extremely wrong, but a meeting with all kingdoms in the wizarding world was too important to dismiss. Edgard was not able to excuse himself from the meeting until morning._

_-----------------------_

_The King looked at the guard and ordered him to stand back up with a motion of his arm. This was too much to take in. How was it that only a few hours ago he was holding his dear wife in his arms and promising that he'd keep safe while he was away? She should have been the one to promise…Edgard couldn't let loose of his emotions now when his people needed him the most. He just couldn't because if he did, then anything would be able to cause the kingdom's demise._

_"Leave me alone with my wife," said the King more forcefully than he had intended. The guard nodded in submission but King Edgard smiled as best as he could to show that he wasn't angry. _

_"Oh, and could you please find Prince Bastien? Tell him that there is something important I need to tell him," said the King before the guard reached the door. The guard was about to turn around to ask about the preparations for the Queen's burial, but the King answered before he could ask._

_"Don't worry. I'll take care of the preparations myself. It's the least that I can do to ease my peoples' mourning. They will miss their Queen dearly. I will announce her death myself shortly."_

_The guard left husband and wife alone in search of the young prince._

_King Edgard walked towards the bed that held his wife's body. He sat down upon the edge and stroked her silky hair. Death may have taken her soul, but her beauty was left untouched. Her lips still held their color and as the King bent down to kiss his wife for the last time; he remembered the taste of a luscious red apple. He sighed deeply and looked at her face once more. There was still a rosy hue upon her cheek that told a tell-tale story of a once vivacious life._

_"Pourquoi êtes-vous parti, mon amour?" he managed to sob out. "How could you leave us all without your presence lightening our lives? Did you not care for your husband? Your son? Your kingdom!" King Edgard suddenly felt angry. SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THIS! She had no right!_

_Edgar wasn't able to cope with such a loss. He sobbed endlessly as he held his wife closer in his arms. Bastien had entered the room some time ago but instead of announcing his presence, he had kept quiet and watched as his father held his mother lovingly in his arms. When he saw his father brush away his mother's hair, a large gash was suddenly noticeable upon her cheek. It tainted his mother's beauty and he gasped at the size. This caught Edgard's attention._

_"Bastien? Son, is that you?" Father asked. Bastien snapped out of his stupor and walked towards his parents._

_The young prince looked at his father and then back at his mother. _

_"Papa, what's wrong with Mother?" Edgard was forced to look away before his son saw the tears in his eyes. His silence worried Bastien even more. He felt for his mother's hand, but as soon as he touched her, he pulled away in surprise. Bastien's eyes became wide with fright. Lady Amarante felt colder than ice._

_Bastien backed away in disbelief and stumbled on his own feet._

_"Son," pleaded Edgard, "Please, come back." His son was no longer looking at him but rather at his mother as he pointed towards her cheek. Edgard didn't understand what he was pointing to until he looked down upon Amarante's face. There he saw his tears healing her wound. In its place was a long black scar._

_King Edgard laid his wife back down on to her bed and stood up while his mind was racing with thoughts and ideas to try and explain such an oddity that was rare even in the wizarding world._

_The Prince ran towards his mother and tried to wake her by shaking her body._

_"Please, mama. Please, wake up! Please!" Father tried to calm his son._

_"Bastien, mother has passed away. But something is very wrong about this situation." This made Bastien's ears perk up to listen._

_"Hurry, son, and go to Merlin. I need his guidance more than ever. Honor your mother, son. Hurry!" The Prince understood that this was even bigger than he had ever imagined if Father needed Merlin's guidance. His mother would have wanted him to do this. Doing this would have made his mother proud, so he ran as fast as he could towards a place that no more than 3 people ever knew existed._

_King Edgard paced the mahogany floor for almost an hour in thought. That scar was unnatural. Nothing healed in that manner, and his wife would not have taken her life willingly. Something was definitely in the wrong. But what exactly!_

_He went back towards his wife to try and get some inspiration just as he would have had she been alive._

_"Tell me something, love. A hint, a sign, anything! I just want to put things back in the right. I want to know that your death was not all for naught. Anything, love. Give me anything." While he said this, his hand reached for hers and incredibly he found something inside her clenched fist._

_It was a crumbled parchment! Edgard tried to unravel it as quickly as possible without damaging it. What was written on it was worse than he had ever imagined. The world that he had come to know was indeed in jeopardy. It had read:_

_**Dearest Edgard,  
Keep the Everard family safe. Keep all kingdoms in close relation. The Black Dragon has made its appearance. I have failed to stop the omen. Do not despair for my life did not end all for naught. Give the Allied Kingdoms a final word of advice from me; more than ever we need to be accepting of everyone and everything because the Dark Beginning looms closer than we could have ever imagined. Tell my people to keep their trust in the Everard family.I love you and Bastien very much. **_

_**All my love,**_

_**Lady Amarante, Queen of Everard**_

**_P.S. The daughter has precious blood and the young dragon is a rising power. The world's fate lies in their hands but most importantly in their hearts._**

_Just as the King had sat dejectedly next to his wife, Merlin revealed himself from under his invisibility cloak. Beside him was young Bastien. Merlin took one look at Lady Amarante's seemingly sleeping form and knew what had happened without explanation. _

_"She wasn't supposed to die," whispered Merlin to himself and continued, "Her death could only mean one thing."_

**To be continued in Chapter 4

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**AU: **I bet you all hate me right now! Yikes! Hehe. Sorry for the boring chapter and whoa! What is Merlin doing in this story? Hehe! Ah, well there'll be a bit more information in Chapter 4 to clarify even more things, but I'm sure you'll be seeing the young couple soon.

**Now for the lovely reviewers!**

**Hannah: **Thank you for being my very first (real) reviewer! I hope to see more of your reviews. Perhaps you should keep reviewing to see if this story is really as promising as you think? Hehe. ;-)

**Cucu4cocopuffs: **Lol. You are my very first reviewer for my 2nd chapter. Thank you for all of the compliments. :blushes: I hope to get more reviews, but if I have yours, I'll be as happy as baby with candy (which is right now hehe).

**Emeralds in ebony: **I have to admit that after hearing that song from the Anastasia soundtrack, it really inspired me to change this fic around a bit. I hope you stick around to see where this plot (and the characters) develop!

**Dragonfly313: **Wow, I have never really gotten constructive criticism before, and I'm glad you were the first reviewer to do so! I hope you've received the email that I've sent. Thank you for going above and beyond! I honestly never expected a review to ever have such depth. Thank you once again!

**Blondejenny: **Haha. I will PMS! Lol. Of course, post more soon, just as long as you're still here to review!

**BloodJewel: **Hehe. I hope Chapter 3 was satisfactory. -D

**alBBie: **Because the real HP books are really set in the 1900's, then I'm kind of going along with that but my time setting maybe just a little earlier than that. It is in France right now and Draco is in England but because of magic, the Malfoys can easily get to France. There is a reason for everything that I write (even if it's not apparent to me right now!), so just keep reading and I'm sure I'll find a use for Blaise being Hermione's twin brother and all…and being able to sense her thoughts and feelings. ;-)


	4. Part 1: Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I disclaim. Lol. Haha.

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**AU: **Hopefully the end of the flashback! More reviewer responses at the bottom!  
**This looveeely chapter is dedicated to my special Green Goldfish. **D

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Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember... 

And a song  
Someone sings  
_Once upon a December...

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_

**Last Chapter:**  
_"She wasn't supposed to die," whispered Merlin to himself and continued, "Her death could only mean one thing."_

**Part 1: Chapter 4**

**-**Flashback mode!-

_Merlin walked towards his old friend and patted him on his back. _

_"I think it's time for the people to know the truth about their Queen," he said to Edgard. The King nodded sullenly and beckoned for his son._

_"Bastien, tell the guard that it is time to call the entire kingdom to court."_

_As soon as the Prince had left the room, Merlin spoke quietly, "The lady possesses Dark blood. She cannot die."_

_Edgard looked up at Merlin's tired eyes and said, "Which is precisely why I have called for you over a century early! With Lady Amarante gone, Dark is free to rise because it holds no opposition."_ _Then hesitantly he asked, "If she cannot die, then why is it a reality?" _

_Merlin pondered for a moment and replied, "Dark can only take another Dark."_

_The King looked and sounded exasperated. "Yes. But my wife not only had Dark blood but Royal blood as well! A Dark has not been able to harm a Royal since your blessing!"_

_The older wizard answered regretfully, "And that is what brings us to our current situation. She took her own life, yes?"_

_"Yes, but I don't believe it was willingly!"_

_"Of course, she took it willingly! It was THE ultimate sacrifice. If she had not done it, then the Royal world would have had no chance to overcome another Dark Age!"_

_King Edgard interjected, "So, she knew the new Dark Age was coming because her time was expiring as a part of her is mortal?"_

_Merlin continued, "Yes, and instead of waiting for that inevitable, she sacrificed her life to at least give the Royals a glimmer of hope in surviving and triumphing!"_

_The King finally understood, but there was still one very important piece of the puzzle that was missing._

_"All right. So, she took her life to give us hope of triumphing, but what exactly is that hope?"_

_"Well, did she leave us anything to go on?" Merlin inquired._

_"Why, yes. Plenty of things actually, but I can't seem to make sense of them," answered Edgard._

_Merlin walked up to Lady Amarante's body as the King pointed towards her cheek._

_"Brush that lock of hair from her face," said the King. Merlin did so and found a large but healed gash of black. Tentatively he reached for the scar. _

_"This is a dragon scar," concluded Merlin. "Their blood is more deadly than acid as it can pierce through even the purest metal. If it were any other person, a drop of blood would have been enough to leave them seriously injured. But this scar is not what killed her. Her Dark blood would have repelled the Dragon's."_

_He traced the scar once more until it curved at the end almost as if it were pointing to something. Merlin turned towards his friend._

_"You're going to have to trust me on this. Do you mind undoing her bodice?" The King looked at him skeptically but still did as he was told. The bodice was levitated from her frame, and on her chest they found a black scale lodged into her heart._

_King Edgard choked a sob out and tried to look away. Merlin was already thinking of effective ways to remove the scale, but he knew there was still something else missing._

_"Edgard, is there anything else you'd like to share with me?" The King nodded and took out a piece of parchment with very neat handwriting. As Merlin read, Edgard said, "I don't quite understand it. How are we to find this daughter? Is she alive now? And a young dragon? Does a dragon have a heart? I would think that all dragons were going to be in alliance with the Dark. There's still so much that I don't understand!" Merlin finished reading the letter and tried to advice the King as he had done so many times before._

_"Do as the Lady says. The Allied Kingdoms must be strong TOGETHER if they are to go up against the Dark. The Everard family plays a very big role, it seems, but there is also another player."_

_The King's mind was restless, "Who is this other family? We must know of them and tell them quickly." He paused in thought but then continued, "How will a son of theirs become a young dragon? In all my years, I have never once heard of a dragon falling in love with a maiden."_

_Merlin could almost chuckle at his naiveté. "Do not take it so literally, Edgard. It will become apparent to us soon enough. We must do as the Lady says to ensure that the two players meet." _

_Edgard responded, "But how does the Everard family play a role?"_

_Merlin answered, "Who had precious blood in this family?Aside from Royal?"_

_"Lady Amarante, of course," Edgard said, "But whom else?"_

_"Your son would have inherited both your Royal blood and her Dark blood."_

_The King nodded in understanding but was still somewhat puzzled. _

_"My son is male. Her letter says it is a daughter." _

_"Then you must do the only thing you can." Edgard finished Merlin's sentence," And wait for the next Everard generation."_

_-End Flashback-

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While Narcissa fussed over Draco, Lucius was deep in thought. He remembered one night so vividly that it still haunted him in his dreams.

_As soon as Lucius had informed his lord that his son was born, he had been hard pressed for a name. Lucius chuckled slightly at this because Narcissa was unwavering on having her son be named Draco from the first moment she saw his face._

_"Draco," Lucius had answered proudly to his lord. This elicited a rather dark jovial response from his lord._

_"A royal prince, a young dragon!" shouted a very satisfied Voldemort. Then he calmed a bit and ordered, "Bring him to me at once. He must become Dark." At this statement, Lucius eyes became very wide._

_He tried to beg otherwise, "But, Lord! He was born only a few hours ago. He is much too young!" _

_Voldemort was infuriated at Lucius' weak begging. "Silence!" yelled Voldemort. "You will comply with my wishes, or your son will have no Mother to comfort him." Lucius became even more frightened. _

_"Not Narcissa," he whispered. "Yesss," Voldemort hissed, "Your beautiful wife."_

_Lucius understood what he had to do and quickly set off to find his son. But before Lucius left, Voldemort had spoken once more._

_"Oh, and Lucius, no one is to know of your son's existence. He will be first revealed on Everard's Eve." It seemed that he had no choice, and left quickly to hide the tears pouring out from his eyes._

Now it was Everard's Eve and he watched the fragile figure of his wife as she smiled widely at her growing son. Narcissa no longer smiled at Lucius like that.

Draco watched as his father tried his best to hide his somber eyes from his mother. And he noticed how his Mother would try her best to ignore him altogether. He never understood their odd behaviour when he knew that they both loved each other unconditionally. Draco just shrugged and looked out the window. He would finally be able to meet children his age. This was the first time his Father had allowed him to attend a ball, and if he understood correctly this ball would be the grandest one of the entire century!

Lucius turned his thoughts to how the night would be executed. He would have to keep his son and wife as safe as possible even though the Dragon had specific orders not to harm them.

A sweet melody came to them as they exited from their carriage. Narcissa opened her mouth and began to sing the sweetest song that Draco had ever heard.

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**AU: **Chapter 5 is where all that awesome action's at. Haha. So keep reviewing and I'll try to post as soon as humanly possible!

**Reviewer Response!**

**alBBie: **Lol. Sorry if all the juicy stuff wasn't here, but you know what? I'm sure Chapter 5 will be pretty juicy. Haha.

**BloodJewel: **Yay. I did have a happy time writing even though I've got this weird SINUS sickness kinda' thing. Hooray for loyal/royal reviewers. D

**Annax3: **Hooray! New reviewer! Lol. I'm gonna' post up an FAQ section to answer questions or to clarify things, but if you're patient, then I'm sure you'll find them by yourself in later chapters. Just brace yourself! ;-) Hehe.

**FAQ:**

**Why are Blaise & Hermione twins?  
**Well, Blaise doesn't really get too much "air time" in HP books, and I find his mysterious sort of character very appealing. So, he now plays a pretty big role in this story! Ahh, spoiler!

**Setting?**  
As of now? Around the capital of France a little bit before the 1900's. Specifically the Everard Palace.

**When is the darned couple going to make an appearance together?  
**Ahh! They areee indeed coming!


	5. Part 1: Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Rawr, I don't even have a full claim over my computer.

**AU: **Ah, crud cakes. I'm sorry for the …2 week wait! My computer had gone off the fritz. Well, I think there might be a 6th chapter to end the suspense, but here's Chapter 5! Please review. -D

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Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember... 

And a song  
Someone sings  
_Once upon a December...

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_

**Last Chapter:**  
_A sweet melody came to them as they exited from their carriage. Narcissa opened her mouth and began to sing the sweetest song that Draco had ever heard._

**Part 1: Chapter 5**

Hermione found herself being lulled into a deeper reverie as the words to the beautiful song became clear.

_Far away, long ago,  
_It made Hermione feel like the world she was born into was that of absolute fantasy and that the magic that surrounded her was created by either hers or someone else's imagination. It was a world of _far away _and _long ago…_

_Glowing dim as an ember,  
_She faced the evening sky and was surprised to see its unnatural shade of black being illuminated by the small candles floating above their heads, and even then Hermione felt that the sky was warning her, preparing her for something _dim_ that was to come…

_Things my heart  
__Used to know,  
_What could it be? She knew tonight would be a night to remember, but why? She kept her thoughts close to her heart and it thumped with irregular speed. In the small minutes it took to reach the Everard Castle, her _heart _burned with a _knowing_ passion…

_Things it yearns to remember...  
_Hermione was shocked out of her reverie when the carriage stopped abruptly. They had arrived. Her eyes still weren't focused enough to realize that a steady hand had offered to guide her way down from the carriage. Then a soft voice whispered, "Hermione," and she took the hand with enough grace to recover

She kept her eyes down, but when she reached the ground floor she lifted her eyes and theygazed upon a boy that made her stumble and forget who she was before having seen him. But when those clear blue eyes found their way to meet her own brown orbs, she knew that her _heart would always remember_…

_And a song someone sings,_  
Draco's heart thrummed loudly. It overpowered his mother's singing. There, just a few feet away stood the reason he stole another breath from life. His eyes had never seen such raw awe-inspiring beauty. He found her potential beauty to surpass even that of his mother's at this mature age. Draco never realized the way his gray eyes subtly changed to a clear blue.

His mind could hardly think properly when elation suddenly spread from limb to limb and overwhelmed his senses. "For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night," he whispered.

But her beauty had only opened a floodgate of emotions. As she walked closer towards them, beads of sweat broke out and he could feel the power she yielded within her just waiting to be sparked by none other than himself.

_Once upon a December  
_Suddenly Lucius stepped in front of him to block his view of her. His eyes turned a deadly gray, but they easily subsided as he knew that he would always remember this night, _once upon a December_…

"Draco," Lucius called out sternly. "They're about to announce us. It is time to make your presence known."

Draco was a little puzzled by the last part, but he smiled smugly and turned towards the towering doors that opened to admit them.

"King and Queen Malfoy of England," a shaky voice announced. Hearing this stopped all sorts of chatter and even the most garrulous Royal dropped her jaw wide open in futile attempts to mouth silent words. All eyes focused on the Malfoys.

The way that Narcissa flashed her gleaming smile and provocative figure was in complete contrast to the cruel smile plastered onto Lucius' face. The Royals had long suspected them to dabble in the Dark Arts. There was too much temptation in having power that could barely be repressed. But even the glaring presence that the two shared could barely pierce the realization humming in midair that hung and screamed, "Dragon."

Draco stood in between his parents and held a calm composure even as his eyes surveyed the room. He still had a ways to go with height, but his immense power crept steadily towards the Royals standing at the bottom of the wide staircase. All of the Royals felt it, knew it, and could practically touch the tangibility of his power. Then a weak hearted woman suddenly fainted and caused a little ruckus, but all eyes were still on Draco.

Lucius whispered something into the announcer's ear and the man practically iced over with fright, but he nodded as best he could.

"And announcing the long awaited presence of their son, Prince Draco Malfoy, heir to the kingdom of England and the Dark Throne."

This caused anuproar with the guests of the Everard Palace, but after a few long moments a bright laugh resonated throughout the large room. Draco smiled boyishly and they began to descend the stairs.

The guests parted to reveal the King of France. "Oh, Lucius. You've alwayshad a dark sense of humour," a light hearted voice boomed even as his eyes became quite grave at the sight of Draco. This small pun seemed to relax the guests, but Merlin's eyes twinkled after finishing a few small incantations.

Narcissa smiled genuinely and bowed deeply, gracefully like a subject to a lord instead of to an equal. King Edgard took the lady's hand gently and said, "Now, now. There's no need for that. You are in the presence of equals." But Narcissa's hand trembled and the look in her eyes almost made his heart break. She needed his council one more time.

Lucius growled and made it clear that he did not approve of the display. Draco could feel pricks of jealousy coming from his father, but he barely registered the thought as he watched the entrance doors open in anticipation.

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**AU: **Aw, shucks. I bet you all hate me. Okay, chapter 6 should be up tomorrow if my BETA and I decide it's good enough. Well, it has most of the action. I know, I know! I keep telling you that the action is coming, but where the heck is it? Hopefully chapter 6 ends Part 1 of the story.

Please, ask as many questions as you want! I will try to answer them as well as I can.


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